Tom Ahern, Circuit Preacher. Cleaning up donor communications, one tough town at a time

December 09, 2016

Brains are organs. Those particular organs run our world and of course make all the gifts.

Since the human brain is so important to the survival of the planet and our species, countless scientists study our mental, management organs in ever-more-sophisticated ways.

And while there are so many mysteries of the brain yet to be delved, some things we do now know to be true.

For instance: there is a biological reason why unhappy images almost always raise more money.

It is "merely" a matter of stimulus/response. Autonomic behavior. An unhappy image snags the mind's attention automatically, without your conscious thought or participation. Why? Because we are prey animals as well as hunters and alphas.

December 05, 2016

Your very excellent programs cast too large a shadow. That's why your NGO's tendencies toward megalomania are perfectly understandable by any rational person. Which are grantmakers and governments, not individuals.

December 04, 2016

Maybe you go to a Sunday Jazz Brunch in a swanky, super-unpretentious place (The Dorrance) that hosted a Chelsea Clinton event this year. You're in a livable city that owes more to the arts and artists than Florence. Where a billboard of a nursing mom is perfect. And no-name bars decorate for the holidays. Our attentive, well-timed server was playful, too. She'll run a major corporation some day. The highlight of the first 15 minutes? Someone they couldn't punish with a public whipping knocked over the massive floral centerpiece that greets customers pushing through the old wooden doors that once graced this staid, old-money bank. From the number of would-be writers I saw getting their day going around us, someone has already plotted out the novel that could pour from that crash. Nothing crashes better than a big full overburdened vase falling on the unforgiving forehead of a laid marble floor in an echoing multistory chamber with arches designed to reveal silken, secret conversations. The menu? To drool for. I had those local, sea-pond oysters.

BELOW Amy, an art photographer of serene profound devastation human landscapes, doesn't like to be photographed. DOES like fingerless gloves. A Santa Claus 5K ran past the restaurant's windows. Ashley, the asker, calmly awaits her moment. She's the ED of RIUDL. We admire her mission: we've met some of the kids who go through urban debate. Thanks to Ashley's ambitious comms. She is so smart and caring you forget for a two-hour lunch with sharp, light jazz in the background, that angels probably don't exist on earth. Her case is prepared. Things have changed. Good things. RI Urban Debate League has expanded 10-fold in just one year. Officials who wouldn't play ball before, now are her best friends. Finally, RIUDL is seen for what it is: as an equalizer that helps kids from inner-city schools compete toe to toe with kids from smoking-rich private schools. Urban debate replaces some of the things that under-resourced urban schools can lack. Exactly our cup of tea. It's a privilege to know about RIUDL and Ashley's work.

December 03, 2016

Be careful what you say first. It can help you. Or it can just as easily hurt you, money-wise.

In 2015, Leah Eustace, "principal and Chief Idea Goddess" at Good Works, one of Canada's best fundraising agencies, shared Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman's eye-opening experiments on "anchoring" and giving with the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference.

The featured campaign aimed to save 50,000 sea birds. Dr. Kahneman tested three different types of asks.

"Would you be willing to pay $5...?"

"What would you be willing to pay?"

"Would you be willing to pay $400...?

As you'll note, the first ask started with a very, very small amount ... something even a college kid could afford, bypassing a latte.

The second ask was open-ended. In effect, it said: "Dear Donor, You decide what saving those birds is worth, knowing your bank account and your personal values."

The third ask started with a large amount. Not improbably large ... but large enough to get the attention of 99% of the population.[1]

The test results will teach you everything you need to know, practically speaking, about why anchoring can be so useful. (Want to dive into the science? There's a great article on Wikipedia.)

The first ask brought in an average gift of just $20.

The second ask brought in an average gift of $64.

The third ask brought in an average gift of $143.

Any questions?

[1] You might not think that $400 is all that much, particularly if you're affluent; you've seen too many dinner tabs. Fact is, the vast majority of US households make very few charitable gifts of $400 and above in one lump sum. They aren't cheapskates: each gives away something like $3,000 a year. But that total is spread across up to 20 charities. Single $400 gifts are rare.

November 30, 2016

I really do love your work. You put a good landing-page face on the Pawtucket (RI) Boys & Girls Club.

There is just one thing missing in your intake form:

A place where I can tell you how I wish to be addressed, by first name.

You see, my credit card name is THOMAS. My preferred first name is TOM. Stephen/Steve. Elizabeth/Betsy. You get the idea. Your robot doesn't.

What happens is this: from now on, you will send me lovely emails that all begin DEAR THOMAS, reminding me that my credit card is the thing you want to have a relationship with.

And eventually I will find someone else to support. As I have with Smile Train, Charity: Water and a bunch of political causes.

Thank you,

tom, not Thomas

Razoo support responded within the hour (not bad!!!). Of course, the burden's on the donor ... and who knew I now had AN ACCOUNT. Close. Not puffin' my cigar yet.

Hi Tom,

Thanks for reaching out to Razoo! The reason emails are addressed to "THOMAS" is because that is the name on your account. ​​To change the name on your Razoo account, log in at www.razoo.com and hover over your name on the navigation bar. From the blue menu, choose "Profile" and then "Edit Profile." Then you can set your name to whatever you'd like, and all of your Razoo correspondence will have that name on it.

November 28, 2016

November 27, 2016

you have reached the voicebox of Tom Ahern and the ears attached ~ I have been in Toronto ~ polar bears directed traffic ~ Santa Claus had already come and gone and declared the city unfit ~ as ever, the first calls were to the city's fundraisers: WE HAVE A PROBLEM!!! HOW MUCH CAN you RAISE?

"Dear Santa, what I wish for is your MAGIC EMPOWERMENT candy cane that turns 70% The % who are female) into ferocious beasts demanding better working conditions. Santa, will ya?"